After It All
by Silesia
Summary: It's been decades since Max and Logan first met. A short picture of their lives that's been in my head for awhile.


**After It All**

  
  


Disclaimer: I don't own anything, and I'm not doing this for any kind of profit, financial or otherwise.

  
  


**After It All**

by Calliope

  
  


Max Guevara ambled through the bright environment of L.A. towards her apartment. The dark gloom and mystery of Seattle suited her far better than the bold and fake brightness of present-day California, but the move had been forced on her about ten years ago. There was only one place in the entirety of the U.S. where women who have passed the big 4-0 can look like Max Guevara, but go unnoticed.

She was, by now, in her early fifties, but still looked at least fifteen years younger. All her neighbors had undergone various operations to keep themselves young. They periodically begged Max for the name of her doctor, or "miracle man", as they called him. Her mystery doctor made her seem to be just under forty, and Max was often told she was all the more beautiful because she never aimed to look a fake twenty.

She let her neighbors believe she had a doctor. She couldn't very well tell them that she had genes that would make her live at least twenty-five years longer than the average woman, or that she would remain beautiful the entire time.

Logan had suggested this particular location for her move. Max's outstanding health and face would fit in best in the gaudy atmosphere of the few rich people left in Southern California.

She reached her apartment, smiling as she thought of Logan. He had, of course, grown older as well. But his eyes still had the same piercing quality, and he had managed to keep his body marginally in shape. However, his hair, along with his I'm-too-busy-to-shave shadow, was now a grizzly grey. 

When Max entered her living room, she went straight to her computer to report to him.

"Reporting" to each other had always _really _been just an excuse to keep in touch after she'd moved. No one at Manticore knew where she was, so Max had tried to be annoyed when Logan told her to keep him informed, but his worry had been too endearing.

Despite his..._endearing_ qualities, Max began her e-mail with, _This is completely useless. I keep a far lower profile than I used to. They're not-_

__MESSAGE! flashed across her screen, and she quickly opened it. It was from Logan, of course- he was the only one who had this particular address. She hurriedly switched the basic system Logan had scratched together for her in to Instant Messenger Mode.

She retyped her e-mail in to a message, continuing with, _They're not going to find me, _before sending it. Logan's reply was predictable: _You still need to be careful._

She sent back the only acceptable retort, with a profanity or two mixed in for good measure.

_That was rude, _he sent back in response.

_And your point would be..._

_Very funny, Max._

__She paused, then typed in, _How was the move?_

__Logan had helped to bring a small, moderately honest political faction in to power in Seattle. Their leader, a stately gentleman named Riley, had now established a rudimentary government, supported by a police force who actually did their jobs, instead of looting, raping, and annoying the few good citizens. 'Eyes Only' had established Riley as a man of power, and as a man to be trusted, in Washington, and then moved south to Portland, where he hoped to do the same for Oregon.

_Over and done with, _Logan answered, _and I've just finished revealing some crooked doctors._

_It sounds to me like _you _need to be more careful than _me. _You're certainly attracting more _attention_ than me._

_Impossible, my dear._

_Don't act old, Logan._

_Hmmph._

__Max laughed at the single typed word. Before she could answer it, though, Logan came back with more to ask. _Have you seen Jack or Quinn lately? _he inquired.

_No_, she replied.

Jack and Quinn were X-9s. Twenty-eight years ago, the X-9s had initiated their own escape. One of them had come in to contact with a free X-5 during a mission, and the idea of freedom had spreadthroughout all the X-9s through their hive mind. However, the escape plan had almost failed, because of the conflicting orders the X-9s had from their two commanders. Like a pride of lions (the X-9s did have cat DNA), they had a male leader, but, like a swarm of bees (because of their hive mind), they also had a Queen.

The X-9s had all made it out of Manticore, though, and the two leaders had quickly figured out a way to have a good co-leadership.

Max thought of those leaders now, Jack and Quinn, the two that Manticore had made in the images of Zack and Tinga. It hurt to think of the two sometimes, hurt to picture them in her head, because she would often see her dead siblings, instead of the two X-9s. But she didn't always just see them as the mirror images of her long dead brother and sister- Jack and Quinn had become precious to her, too, and Max occasionally worried about them.

It was a long time before Logan continued, and Max thought at first that he might have quit their conversation, but he finally typed in, _Have you seen Sess?_

__Sess was the X-9 that looked like Max- the one that had shot her so many years ago. Max knew that Logan still couldn't bring himself to like Sess, despite the fact that she was a fairly nice person now, though somewhat odd. 

Then again, all the X-9s were odd. They did not, as originally thought, share _one_ mind- they were all individuals, with their _own_ minds- but they could hear each others' thoughts through the hive mentality. It was always a little strange to be around an X-9, because it was so hard to get their full attention; they always seemed to be listening to something (or someone) else.

_No_, she answered his question. _Not since last year._

There was another pause, and Max considered just signing off- they would talk again next week. Then, Logan typed, _Do you want to come up to Portland soon? You need another vacation._

_What makes you think that? _Max asked, genuinely curious.

I_ need a vacation, _he corrected. Max smiled. _I want to see you._

_Miss me already?_

_Fishing for compliments? _he typed back.__

_Maybe_, she answered.

_Eyes Only thinks you're swell._

_Gee, thanks._

_You're welcome._

__She paused, yawning. Then, she sent, _If that's the best praise you've got, I'm going to go. I need to eat dinner, so I can get my beauty sleep._

_Max_, he replied, _it's three in the afternoon._

_So?_

_Isn't that acting old?_

__She laughed, then sent back the same answer he'd sent her earlier: _Hmmph. _Max could almost imagine him smiling, too.

She supposed it served her right- she _had _hinted at his age. And they were _both_ getting older. They'd been through a lot together.

With a sigh, she signed off and stood, remembering. 

  
  


End

  
  


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It's kind of a cut-off ending, I know- I couldn't quite figure how to finish it, but this has been in my head for awhile, and I still had to get the beginning out.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



End file.
